Companies in Africa, including banks and other financial institutions, host their data outside the country due to limited local infrastructure. This reliance on foreign data hosting exposes sensitive information to security risks and limits the government’s ability to protect and control its digital data. A local data center is important to manage data internally, enhancing data sovereignty and security.

South Sudan’s Telecommunications Undersecretary Lado Wani Kenyi announced the country’s plans to construct its first Resilient Data Center. This was during the Pan African E-Government Summit in Lusaka, held from October 2 – 4, the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology, and Postal Services announced on October 3.

Kenyi revealed that the project is aimed at improving the country’s data management capabilities while highlighting that funding from the World Bank has been secured, paving the way for the project’s implementation. The data center will provide South Sudan with full control over its digital information, including data from companies operating within the country. It will also support the government’s digital strategy and enhance data resilience.

The Data Center Market in Africa - Industry Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025 report anticipates that African data center revenue will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 12% from 2019 to 2025. South Sudan’s investment in a new data center positions the country to benefit from this robust market growth, leveraging enhanced data infrastructure to support its digital and economic development goals.

Hikmatu Bilali